Wanted
by Anneliza
Summary: Two men have realized that Akoya is worth quite a bit and if they can capture him then they will be able to ransom him for enough money to be more than comfortable for the rest of their lives. The only problem in their plan is that Akoya does not seem willing to go along with it and neither does Arima or the rest of their friends.
1. Chapter 1

"There he is," a man wearing all black whispered to his matching companion next to him. He slowly raised his hand to point at a student standing in the small square. This particular student was wearing a light blue sundress and inspecting a matching necklace at one of the many vendors' tables that were packed into the tiny plaza. There would have been nothing remarkable about this particular student if you did not notice the pastel pink hair that was flowing out from under the straw hat. "That is our target, Gero Akoya. He is foolish to come here alone but that makes this so much easier for us." The man grinned and turned to his partner. "Stay here and remember the plan." The other man nodded so he stood up and began to approach the teenager.

Once he was close, the man addressed the teen. "Mr. Gero?"

The student turned to look at him, confusion swimming in his bright blue eyes. "Have we met?" he asked politely.

"Not yet," the man admitted. "I was only hired by your father last week and began yesterday. I was hired to be a backup driver for you since he disapproves of you going out on your own so often. I was instructed to pick you up so you can have some extra study time but your usual driver happened to fall ill."

The boy regarded him for a moment, thinking deeply about the story he had just heard. Finally he asked, "Do I still have flute lessons this afternoon?"

The man sighed impatiently. "Of course you do but you need to study before that." He grabbed the teen's wrist. "Now come on. We must not delay."

"Let me just put this back and I will meet you at the car. It will only take a moment." The other indicated the necklace that he was still holding and tried to pull his wrist free. The man did not release him but he did allow him to put the necklace back where it had been on the table. Suddenly, he turned toward the man and punched him as hard as he could.

Surprised, the man's grip loosened enough for his wrist to slip free. Taking no time to pause, the boy ran for the exit not currently being blocked by the strange man which happened to be a dark alleyway. Soon he could hear two sets of thunderous footfalls behind him. Quickly ducking behind a dumpster, he started to yell "Conquest!" when his wrist was grabbed once more. This time it was being held by a different man but he was dressed identically to the first one. The teen swung his body around swiftly, harshly kicking the new man in the chest. With a grunt, his wrist was once again released. While the man was winded, he shouted "Conquest!" for the second time.

But no power began to flow through his body. Looking down, he realized that his ring had been pulled off when he broke free. Having no other options, he started running again for the exit to the alley.

Bursting onto the sidewalk, he frantically looked for a place to hide when he heard his name called again. Snapping his head in the direction the voice had come from, he was relieved to see his fellow student council member, Arima Ibushi. Arima was staring at him from inside a car that had pulled over and out of traffic. Without thinking, he ran towards the car and the other teen only barely managed to open the door in time before the panicked student threw himself onto the floor of the car.

"Drive!" he screamed at the driver. "But do not make it look like you are hurrying or that you ever even stopped!"

The driver instantly obeyed him and pulled back onto the street.

Once they were driving, the student laid back where he had been on the floor.

"Akoya?" a worried voice asked softly. "What is going on?"

"I think I was almost abducted!" he cried out, throwing his head on the other's lap and bursting into tears. Shocked, Arima let him do so and turned his head just enough to look out the back windshield. Two men tumbled out of the alley and looked around before going into a nearby shop. He quickly turned around before he was spotted as well.


	2. Chapter 2

Arima was sitting on the edge of the bed, deep in thought, when someone knocked on the door. "Come in," he called quietly. The door was quickly opened and a maid led six teenagers into the room. Looking at her briefly, he dismissed the maid with a curt, "That will be all thank you." The maid bowed politely and left, closing the door behind her. The six boys all gathered around the foot of the bed, five unsure why they were there and the last hoping he was mistaken.

"Arima," the last one began, voice completely serious. "Tell me your message was a joke. One in poor taste."

"I wish I could, Kinshiro," the seated male responded. "But I cannot. Thank you for doing what I asked and coming so promptly."

The white haired male's eyes flashed dangerously and he stepped closer. "Tell me everything."

The other teens watched closely, still confused.

Arima sighed and shifted a little, only to freeze when the occupant of the bed he was sitting on started to wake. He began to gently run his fingers through the soft hair and its owner fell back asleep.

"Is that Gero?" another pink haired teen asked.

"Yes, Ryuu," the student council member replied. "He is why you are here."

Ryuu rolled his eyes. "Of course it is," he huffed, exasperated. "He always needs attention."

"You do not understand, Zaou." Kinshiro snarled at him. "This time he attracted the attention he avoids most."

The other still didn't seem convinced so Arima whispered, "He is right. Akoya was almost captured today." Five pairs of mouths dropped open. "When you grow up with parents as wealthy as ours, you are taught from an early age that someday you may be sought after and held for ransom. Today that almost came true for Akoya. The only reason it did not is because he followed the steps created for situations like that and he realized that those men were not who they said they were."

He started to describe what he already knew to the others.

"If he thought they were imposters, why did he ask them about his flute lessons?" Atsushi asked.

"Akoya does not study the flute," he answered. "He wanted to as a child but was told that was a waste of time and money. His parents decided that 'flute lessons' would become his code phrase if he felt he was in danger. If he tells his driver that he is late for his flute lessons, the driver knows that it is time to leave and reports that the phrase was used to a guard and his parents. If someone he has not met before approaches him, he asks about his flute lessons. If they reply that the flute is a waste of time, he knows that they are legitimate. If they say anything else, he needs to get away from them. It could have been a mistake and this man has not learned the proper response yet, which Akoya would be told when he arrived at home and then properly introduced. However, we know for a fact that these men were imposters because they broke the first and most important rule in the Gero house: no touching."

"What, his servants aren't allowed to touch him?" Ryuu asked.

"Not just the servants," Arima responded bitterly. "He is not allowed to touch his own parents. They do not care for him in the least. They do not care for each other and live in separate wings of the manor to avoid crossing paths. They only approach each other when necessary, for pictures, business events, and to create an heir. Not once in his life has he been hugged by his mother or given a friendly pat on the shoulder by his father. Since he has been old enough to bathe himself, no one has touched him or paid him any mind." Suddenly he stood up and walked over to the door, knocking on it harshly. They all heard swift footsteps hurrying away. "Unlike here where I cannot get a moment of peace, even when I ask for it."

"So you are saying that no one has given him any affection in what, ten years?" Atsushi asked, incredulously.

"Twelve actually," the other replied, voice sour. "That is why he is always trying to get attention." He turned to Ryuu. "Especially from you."

"Me?" the other insisted, shocked. "Why me?"

"He is extremely jealous of all the affection you receive in your life when he receives none. Your relationship with your grandmother hits him hardest of all."

Ryuu thought of his grandmother. She was the kindest person he knew and he incredibly grateful that she had been willing and available to take him in after his parents' deaths. She was always waiting with a hug for him when he arrived home from school. He tried to imagine what it would have been like if she was cold hearted and distant instead. He shivered. All of a sudden he no longer wished to trade lives with the other pink haired student.

"What I do not understand is why did he not simply transform into Perlite?" Kinshiro demanded. "He is by no means weak, but he is so much stronger in that form."

"He tried. Twice." Arima informed him. "The first time he was interrupted and the second time he discovered that his ring had been stolen so he was not able. After that he just ran and I happened to be passing by. Luckily I saw him and stopped the car." He frowned. "I have never seen him so scared before and he wore himself out. I decided to bring him here to rest rather than take him home then I messaged Kinshiro to come immediately and bring all of you."

"Why do you need us?" Yumoto peeped, curious.

"Someone is trying to capture Akoya and he is not safe. Without his ring he is even more vulnerable. He needs all of us to protect him until those men are arrested."

"Of course," said Atsushi instantly. "We will help however we can."

"That must be so scary!" Yumoto squealed. "Surely he is not worth so much that these people will try again?"

Turning to face him, the student council member began to explain. "His father is doing exceptionally well in the pearl market. He earns millions of yen every year and invests it wisely. Because of this, if someone wanted to demand a ransom for him they could easily demand over two billion yen for him." Again, the Defense Club members could only stare at him in astonishment. Except for Io who was not surprised, already aware of that information from his research.

"Yes," he started, looking at his phone. "And Kinshiro could be worth more than five billion. Arima, you are not worth nearly as much though with your place in life."

The student council member nodded solemnly.

"And they just let you walk around?! Alone?!" Ryuu yelled.

"We have been very fortunate," Kinshiro murmured. "Though we do have guards that are often within 30 meters of us and they can be called if we need them."

"I am just wondering," En said abruptly, speaking for the first time. "How do you know all of this about him?"

The green haired man looked away. "There are times when I wish I did not know all of this but I do. I have learned it through many evenings spent with him. He detests staying at his own home where he is constantly ignored. Because of that, occasionally he stays here and my servants, who are always around, dote on him and I play butler for him at school and on any trips we take."

"Arima-san," Yumoto began innocently. "Why do you serve Kin-chan and Akoya-kun? Couldn't you just hire someone to do that if it is so important? You all can afford it, right?"

"Because I know that their lives are far more stressful than mine and they need someone to look after them. I grew up with three older brothers and am destined to serve them as I did when they still lived here so I was already used to acting like a butler."

"You have brothers?" Arima nodded. "Does Akoya-kun?"

"No. I already told you how his parents feel about each other. They only attempted to reproduce once and when they had Akoya, they felt no reason to have any more children."

"What about Kin-chan?" Yumoto asked, turning to look at him.

"He has an older sister," Atsushi answered, surprising everyone but Kinshiro.

"We truly have not talked in a long time," the white haired male responded before turning and stalking to the attached bathroom.

Bewildered, Atsushi turned to Arima who looked concerned.

"His sister was married to a man she did not love and who was chosen by their parents. He expected her to be subservient and she could not stand it. She could not find a way out so she killed herself. It has been several years but it is still very upsetting to him. And it increased the pressure that was already on his shoulders. He and Akoya are both expected to take over for their fathers someday. Even if they do not want to or the promise is occasionally taken away as a punishment or warning to do as they are told."

At that moment Kinshiro returned from the bathroom. "If you are done gossiping, we can decide what to do for Akoya," he hissed, eyes narrowed and slightly red.


	3. Chapter 3

The group decided that they would take turns watching over Akoya. Io and Ryuu would be in charge of his protection during class but when they went to lunch En and Atsushi would take over. Student council meetings and getting home from school safely was up to Arima and Kinshiro while anytime they visited the bathhouse, Yumoto became the primary defender. They all agreed not to tell Akoya what they were doing, unless he asked, to protect his feelings. Once their plan was finalized, the group departed, leaving Akoya to Arima.

Half an hour after they left, Akoya stirred again and started to wake. Arima patiently sat beside him, watching his eyes slow blink open. The blue eyes were still fuzzy from sleep but they slowly cleared and focused on him. A fond smile slowly spread across his face. "Arima," he whispered, sliding closer. As he moved, he noticed that he was not in the bed he normally slept in either at his home or Arima's. Confused, he looked around the room and realized that he did not know where he was. "Where am I…?"

"This is my room," the other explained. "After what happened, I thought you would not want to be alone so I brought you here instead of the room you usually use or your home." Confusion remained on Akoya's face until the events of the day came back to him. When he remembered that he had narrowly escaped capture, he started sobbing. He tucked his face into his knees and tried to block out the memories. Feeling concerned, Arima put his arms around him and held him close while he waited for the other to calm down once again. "Do not worry. I will not let anything happen to you."

Eventually the younger student's tears slowed, becoming soft hiccups. He leaned into the warm body next to him and tried to relax. "I…I never thought this would happen…" he admitted quietly, between hiccups. "We have been safe for so long and no one has tried anything like this before so why…?" The end of his question was not finished, not that Arima needed it to be.

"I do not know," the other replied, still holding him. "But it is and no one is going to take you without going through me first. I promise." He wanted to take the other's mind off of the situation so he tried to think of something that would interest him. "Would you like to watch a movie while I brush your hair?" The younger man nodded just slightly but he felt it. "I will be right back," he murmured into his hair, letting go and sliding off the bed to grab the necessary supplies. A movie he knew the other enjoyed was placed into the player and turned on. He helped Akoya sit up and slipped in behind him, gently running the brush through his long, pink locks. The movie played but he did not pay it much attention, more focused on whether or not the man in front of him was relaxing at all. It seemed like he was focusing on the lighthearted movie as he leaned back against him little by little throughout the movie until he was finally pressed back against his chest, asleep once more.

The brush was placed on the nightstand. He adjusted the other man so that he was laying down beside him. Once he was situated, he turned the television off and laid down as well. The last thing he was aware of before falling asleep was the other moving closer to him unconsciously.

* * *

The next day Arima woke up and had a hard time sitting up due to the warm body pressed against his side. It took him a few moments to remember why the other was in his bed instead of in his room down the hall. When he did, he sighed. This should not be happening. The other was too innocent to be being pursued like this but he was true to his word. He would not let anyone get to the younger student if he had any say in it.

He carefully slipped out of the bed to allow the other to continue sleeping and entered his bathroom. By the time he had showered, brushed his teeth, and gotten dressed for the day Akoya had awoken. The other was currently sitting up and rubbing his eyes softly.

"Good morning," he called quietly.

Akoya turned to him and blinked to clear his vision.

"Morning," he replied, voice full of sadness. "May I borrow your shower?"

"Of course. But you should get some clean clothes to wear first."

Yawning, Akoya climbed out of bed and the two of them walked to Akoya's room to pick up some of the clothes that he stored in the dresser for when he stayed the night. He started to reach for a pink skirt and a cute, white blouse but his hand faltered. Instead he pulled out a pair of black slacks and a gray, button up shirt. Clearly the events of yesterday were affecting him and he did not want to draw any extra attention to himself. It was upsetting to Arima to see him so shaken up that it even extended to his fashion.

With the clothes in hand, they walked back to Arima's room so Akoya could take his shower. While the pink haired teen was washing, Arima tidied up his room. When the two of them were both ready, they started walking back to Akoya's home. Arima tried to think of something to say as they walked but nothing came to mind. He could see how nervous the younger was no matter how hard he tried to hide it. The way he kept looking around to see if anyone was watching or following him. Usually when they walked together, carefree conversation flowed easily between them but today there was only tense silence until they reached the front door.

"Thank you for…everything…" Akoya looked at the ground and sighed.

"Anytime," Arima responded immediately.

His response made Akoya raise his gaze to Arima and smile the tiniest bit.

"I will see you tomorrow at school."

The older teen nodded and waited until Akoya was safely inside before turning around to head home.


	4. Chapter 4

When he woke up, Akoya found a small brown box sitting on his side table. He slid out of bed, grabbed the box, and sleepily walked over to sit on one of the small, pink couches in the sitting area attached to his room. This room was a little colder than his bedroom, so he pulled the blanket that was draped over the back of the couch tightly around his shoulders. The box was sitting innocently in his lap and looking closer at it, he noticed the return address was from Arima's home. Did this mean that the package was from Arima? The box was still sealed which meant that no one in the house had inspected the box before he was able to open it.

He placed the box on the cream colored coffee table between the couches and stood up to grab a pair of scissors out of his sewing box. Pulling the blanket tighter around his body, he needed to ask someone to turn on the heat, he returned to his spot on the couch and carefully sliced open the box. Peering inside, he noticed it contained a tiny blue box. The tiny box was removed and he realized it was tied with a white ribbon. Attached to the white ribbon was a typed note that read, _"Dear Akoya, I saw this while I was out and immediately thought of you. It bet it will look amazing with your stunning blue eyes. I hope you enjoy it! Sincerely, Arima"_

Opening the box, he found a lovely necklace that only held a tear shaped sapphire which was exactly the shade of his eyes. He brushed the hair off of the base of his neck and clasped the necklace around his neck. The chain was long so the jewel hung inside his top. Standing up, he strode to his bathroom to inspect himself in the mirror. The necklace was beautiful and he could not forget to thank Arima for such a thoughtful gift.

* * *

Io and Ryuu were discussing their plan for keeping Akoya safe when their target happened to walk into the classroom. They instantly stopped and moved to sit in the back row of seats, taking the two seats surrounding the one the other student usually sat in.

"What are you doing?" he asked, unsure of why the two of them chose to seat next to him instead of in their usual seats. His bag was slipped off his shoulder and placed on the floor next to his desk.

"Ryuu discovered that the back row actually has the best acoustics to hear our teacher," Io explained quietly as the teacher stepped to the front of the room.

Akoya raised an eyebrow at him.

"That does not sound like him."

Ryuu flushed and muttered, "Well actually, we wanted to use our phones without being noticed and thought that the teacher wouldn't notice us all the way back here."

That was a better explanation so Akoya let it go and slid into his seat to start class. He tried to pay attention and act like nothing had changed, he did not want the others to know about the… _incident_ …over the weekend. As he attempted to pretend like his usual self and a model student, he missed how the two around him were more focused on him than anything else.

* * *

The days continued in much the same way, different members of the Defense Club paying close attention to him and keeping a wary eye on anyone who got too close to their friend. Akoya, caught up in his act, did not notice any of their efforts to the relief of everyone.

The only time he felt like he could relax was while he was sitting in the Student Council Room with Arima, Kinshiro having stepped out for a moment. Feeling exhausted at keeping up his show, he put his arms on the desk in front of him and laid his head down. Arima noticed his fatigue and approached him, gently rubbing his back.

"How are you feeling?" he whispered.

Akoya turned his head enough so he could look at Arima.

"It is so hard to pretend like nothing happened. I have been looking over my shoulder everywhere I go while trying to act like my usual self. But I cannot let my guard down. I am terrified that the moment I do, those men will jump out from somewhere I should have checked and then…and then…"

His eyes welled with tears and he couldn't finish his sentence. It was too much to think of and even more to vocalize it.

Arima took a deep breath and cautiously began, "Akoya, what if you had help…?"

Puzzled, the younger looked up at him.

"Wh-what do you mean?"

The older took his time in answering, not wanting to say something that would cause the younger member to retreat into himself.

"What…what if the others knew about the men who are after you?" The other's eyes widened in horror. "Then they could try to protect you and you would not have to do it on your own. Well, almost on your own."

"They cannot know about this!" he cried, sitting up sharply. "They will not help me, they will only betray me to those men!"

It was hard to not admit that the others already knew about the situation so he had to choose his words even more carefully.

"Akoya, they are your friends. They will watch out for you, not turn their backs on you."

Scoffing, Akoya turned away from him and crossed his arms.

"Clearly you do not know how friends work," he spat.

With a cautious motion, he placed his arm on the other's shoulder and gently turned him around.

"I know you have been hurt in the past, but these boys will not do that to you. They are good boys and if they knew what had happened to you, they would definitely protect you." Akoya did not seem convinced. "Look, why not tell Kinshiro at least? He will understand and make sure nothing happens to you."

The younger student thought about it for a while before nodding slightly.

"All right."

* * *

Telling Kinshiro fell to Arima since Akoya was still uncomfortable talking about the subject. Arima volunteered to tell the other member for him and Akoya was relieved at the suggestion. The younger student did not realize that Kinshiro, and the rest of the group, were already aware of the incident.

After Kinshiro had been 'informed of the situation' things were much simpler for Akoya. He knew he did not have to hide his nerves while in the Student Council Room and the other two people in the room were looking after him. He was not aware of the fact that there were actually seven people doing so as the others continued to watch over him discreetly.


	5. Chapter 5

A few days passed but he was still stressed whenever he was not with his two student council members. He decided that Arima might be right and asked him to tell the Defense Club as well. To his surprise, all of the members were understanding and agreed to protect him as well. With all of them watching him, he finally started to feel at ease and like his old self again. At least while he was at school, when he was at home he was having trouble sleeping. Then he received some news he did not want to hear.

All of the Defense members were hanging out in the Student Council Room, not doing much, but their presence made Akoya calmer than he had been all day. He was currently sipping tea on the couch while Io filled out the work he was meant to be doing. He had been given a reprieve from his duties until he was safe again. They all agreed that he did not need any extra stress on his shoulders right now.

His teacup was suddenly placed on the saucer and he turned to Arima.

"May I stay over tonight?" he whispered, eyes miserable.

Arima immediately put his pen down and gave the other his full attention, eyebrows furrowed.

"When?"

"Tomorrow."

"How long?"

"Two weeks."

Kinshiro gripped his pen so hard that it was on the verge on snapping. The others were confused about what was happening.

"Of course," Arima answered kindly.

Akoya nodded in thanks and stood up, excusing himself to go to the restroom. Io and Arima stood up to follow him.

"What was that about?" Ryuu asked as soon as the door closed.

"Akoya's parents are coming into town," Kinshiro explained quietly, frustration clear in his face. "He always asks to stay at Arima's home before they return so he can delay seeing them as long as possible and have the strength to face them. He needs that extra boost of attention before he has to act like his parents' and servants' disregard for him does not bother him." He put the pen down before he broke it. "And this time they are staying for two weeks. Usually they only visit for a couple days at the time. When they are in town, Akoya suffers the wrath of his father for not being the son he wanted. He is never physically harmed but the mental and emotional harm is more than enough."

Again the others were surprised by how their wealthier friends lived and what they have to put up with.

* * *

With a sigh, Arima knocked on the door to Akoya's room. The other allowed him to enter so he did so to see Akoya sitting, fully dressed, in front of the small vanity installed in the room. He seemed to be fiddling with something and staring sadly at himself in the mirror.

"Are you ready?" he called softly. The other nodded and slowly stood up, crossing to his side with his bag. When he was close, Arima took the bag out of his hand and carried both Akoya's and his own. "I woke up later than I meant to so I asked my driver to take us to school."

They walked together the front of the house where the car was waiting for them. Being a good butler, Arima opened the door for Akoya and slid in after him. He closed the door and placed their bags on the floor. On the seat beside him were two bananas and he looked at them, wondering.

"You did not have time for breakfast, sir," the driver said suddenly from behind the raised partition, starting the car and driving down the street. "I brought a couple bananas for you to enjoy on the drive to school."

"Thank you."

He handed one to Akoya and unpeeled the remaining one. They carefully ate them to try not to leave crumbs. Akoya finished his and placed the peel in a bag on the floor. As he moved to reach the bag, he felt the necklace around his neck shift.

"Oh," he started, turning to Arima and pulled out the pendant. "I wanted to thank you for this lovely gift. It was so thoughtful and made me feel better during this hard time."

Confused, Arima asked, "What are you talking about? I did not give you that…"

Akoya tensed. "You…you did not…? Then who…?"

He looked around and noticed that part of the partition was lowered enough for him to see the driver. He froze, eyes wide and terrified. Arima turned to see what had startled him and realized that the man driving the car was not his usual driver but was instead a man he had seen only once before, when he was chasing Akoya out of an alley.

Diving for the door, he tried to shove it open but the door would not open. The man had locked the doors and windows, laughing as they tried effortlessly to force their way out.

"Just relax," he mocked with a huge grin. "We will be there soon, _sir_."

The two teens in the back kept trying to escape from the car but slowly their strength started to fade. Akoya slumped against Arima, struggling to keep his eyes open. Leaning forward, Arima tore the necklace off of his neck before his eyes started to droop as well. The two fell asleep pressed together in the back of the car, Arima's head resting on top of Akoya's, heading for an unknown destination. The older teen's hand fell open and the necklace dropped to the floor of the car.


	6. Chapter 6

The mood in the Student Council room was tense. The members of the Defense Club were sitting around the room. Ryuu and Io were sitting on one couch while En laid lazily across the other. Yumoto was perched on top of one of the ornate desks, fiddling with his hands quietly. Atsushi was standing near the door, watching his friend anxiously pacing the middle of the room.

"Kinshiro," he called softly. "Calm down. I'm sure they're just late. That happens to everyone sometime."

The Student Council President shook his head harshly.

"No. Something has happened. Neither of them are ever late. And if they were going to be late, they would have told me. Those men could have gotten to Akoya and we could be wasting time right now!" He pulled out his phone. "I am going to call them."

"Just wait a little longer," the first asked. "There is still plenty of time for them to get here or let you know that they will be late. Akoya stayed with Arima last night, right?" The white haired male nodded. "Well you know as well as I do that he would not let anything happen to Akoya. They are probably still sleeping." The other had stopped pacing by now so he walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "From what I understand, seeing his parents is a great ordeal for Akoya so maybe he had a hard time falling asleep and Arima had to stay up with him. That probably wore him out as well so they overslept and will let you know that soon."

Taking a deep breath, Kinshiro leaned against him.

"I hope you are right," he whispered, shoving his phone back into his pocket.

The others stayed quiet, the unease in the room had washed over them the moment they had stepped into the room. Something felt off and none of them could place their finger on what besides the two currently missing members. They wanted to believe that Atsushi was right but for some reason those words just sounded off to them.

Fifteen minutes passed in apprehensive silence, waiting for the door to open and the last two members to walk in but no such thing happened.

"That is it!" Kinshiro suddenly shouted. "I am not waiting any longer! Something is wrong. They should have been here by now!" He pulled his phone once more and dialed Akoya's number first but no one answered. He hung up and quickly called Arima's number instead like he should have done in the first place. The older Student Council member was much more reliable when it came to communication.

The phone rang and rang but again no one picked up.

He could feel the blood in his face starting to drain but there was still one more number he could call. This time his call was received and he spoke quickly but clearly to the person on the other end.

The others watched him closely, noticing his hand curling into a tight fist. Atsushi gently gripped his upper arm, trying to soothe him.

Suddenly he hung up the phone and spun around to face them.

"We need to go. Now!"

He started to stalk out the door without looking to see if anyone was following him, just expecting them to do as he said. They did, but they were not sure why or where they were going. Because of this, they were surprised when Kinshiro led them down the stairs, out of the school, and off the campus.

"Where are we going?" Ryuu asked nervously. He wasn't against skipping classes occasionally but it didn't seem like something the Student Council President would endorse and if they were going to skip, shouldn't they have been less obvious about it? He usually slipped out a side door and kept his head low to avoid notice. If he snuck out with anyone, they would stage their exits so they didn't leave at the same time. However, Kinshiro had left through the front door with his head held high. What was happening? "And what is going on?"

The leader of their group was marching along, paces ahead of them, with an unseen fury burning right under his skin.

"According to a maid at Arima's home, the two of them departed for school nearly an hour ago in a car. There is no reason they should not have arrived already."

They continued to storm through town, people occasionally staring at them in confusion and wondering why they weren't currently in school. A little less than ten minutes later they were all standing on the stoop to Arima's home once more. Kinshiro pushed the bell and the door was opened not a moment later.

"Oh Master Kinshiro!" the maid cried, eyes full of tears. "We are so glad you are here! We just found Master Arima's driver and you need to talk to him!" She beckoned them inside and led them through the house to the back section where the servants lived. While they walked, the maid continued to blubber to them. "We had no idea that the masters had not arrived safely at school until you called us! Then we went to find Master Arima's driver and figure out what happened." She opened a door and the group was shocked to see Arima's usual driver laying in his bed, blood staining the sheets under him and a physician seated next to him. "We found him in the garage," she explained, tears starting to run down her face. "We believe that he was surprised and attacked so that someone could use the car to capture the masters. One of the cars is missing and has not been found."

The group could only stare for a few minutes.

"Is he dead?" Ryuu finally asked quietly.

"No," the physician answer, turning to him. "He has been struck on the back of his head but it is possible that he may recover."

A loud bang made all the occupants of the room, except the still unconscious driver, jump. Turning, they saw that Kinshiro had slammed his fist into the wall; the physician and maid excused themselves politely.

"This is all my fault," he murmured. "I knew Akoya was in danger. I knew he was being sought after but I foolishly believed that he would be safe with Arima. I did not take any other precautions to make sure that nothing would happen to him and now they are both gone and this man had to pay for my carelessness."

Atsushi started to step forward to comfort him but surprisingly En beat him to it.

"Stop that," he said, frown deeply etched on his face. "We all knew that those men were trying to get to Akoya. We all knew that something like this could happen and were trying to stop it from happening. We were all there when Akoya asked Arima if he could stay with him before his parents came back and not a single one of us thought that they would be in danger if they did that." He took a deep breath and swept his hair out of his face. "We are all responsible for what happened today. Don't take it all on your shoulders. You tried your best."

Nodding, Io said, "We cannot change what has already happened. What we have to do now is figure out how to get them back."


	7. Chapter 7

Cold was the first thing that Akoya registered. Hard followed that thought.

Blinking his eyes open, he discovered that he was not in a room he had ever seen before. It was long and narrow, blank gray walls making the room seem larger than it was. The floor was covered in black tile while the walls were made of stone which explained why he felt so cold. To his confusion, there seemed to be almost nothing in this small room besides a bucket in a corner, a single folding chair at the opposite end, a lump on the floor next to him, and a single door into the room. There was only a single light hanging above them on a tattered cord that lit up only the spot directly around him, leaving the corners shadowed. For some reason, he felt like he was staring at a modern dungeon or a large cell.

Trying to figure out where he was proved to be impossible due to the lack of windows or any signs of life in the room. Giving up on that for now, Akoya tried to figure out why the few objects in the room had been left when the rest of the room had been purposefully left bare. The bucket he could guess was going to be his only facilities until he was released, escaped, or…he shuddered and couldn't finish his thought. Moving on, he looked at the chair which was currently still folded. That one was a little trickier. Surely it wasn't there for his comfort? The rest of the room had been stripped of anything that could be comfortable or useful so why leave a single chair? Kidnappers wouldn't be kind enough to leave him that one kindness, right?

Suddenly the room starting spinning. He shook his head, trying to focus once more.

That left the strange lump on the ground.

Pushing himself to shaking legs, he wobbled over to the lump. His legs gave out and he dropped to his knees beside it. It was covered in a white fabric that looked familiar but with his head still swimming, he had a hard time placing it. There seemed to be something green and bushy growing out of the top of it as well.

Letting out a sigh, he wished his head would clear enough for him to figure out what he was looking at.

The lump moved. It sat up and turned over.

Akoya froze.

No.

 _Arima._ His eyes filled with tears. _Arima is here because of me. If I had not pulled him into this, he would have been safe but I didn't._

The other teen opened and closed eyes a few times as the forced sleep he had been subjected to wore off. He was confused about his location so he peered through the darkness around the room, trying to understand. When he noticed Akoya beside him, tears sliding down his cheeks, he pulled him close.

"What is wrong?" he asked quietly.

"Y-You should not be here," the younger student replied, between his tears. "Y-You did not a-ask for th-this."

Arima frowned at his response.

"And you did? I do not remember you asking for someone to abduct you. On the contrary, I remember you trying very hard to /avoid/ being abducted."

Shaking his head, Akoya tried to explain.

"Th-That is not what I m-meant. I-I meant I d-dragged you into this. If I had st-stayed away you would have b-been safe."

Rubbing his back, he said in a soothing voice, "Akoya, I told you before that I was not going to let anyone get to you without going through me first and I meant it. You did not drag me into anything. I voluntarily joined so do not blame yourself."

Akoya pulled back from his hold to look at him, searching his eyes for anything sign of a lie. Any sign that he was saying that just to comfort him when he truly did not feel that way.

When he found none, fresh tears burst from his eyes and he dove back into Arima's arms. The other continued to hold him and rub his back, trying to calm him.

"Well isn't this a pretty picture," a mocking voice said from behind them. They both froze. Slowly, eyes wide, they turned to see the man who had impersonated the driver standing by the door with a length of rope in his hands. A sly grin was on his face as he watched them. "It is so sad that I have to break it up." He strode over to the pair, gripped Akoya's upper arm tightly, and roughly dragged him to his feet. "Unfortunately I need pretty boy for a while."

Arima jumped up, glaring hard.

"You cannot have him."

He ran at the pair, curling his hand into a fist, but before he reached them the second man had appeared and backhanded him. The hit sent him backwards and to the floor harshly.

"Arima!" Akoya cried out, straining to go to his side and check that he was all right but the man clutching his arm refused to release him.

"Listen to me closely," the second man hissed, crouching down to be on the student's level. "No one is going to lay a hand on your boyfriend because he is worth more undamaged. However," He pointed at Arima. "You are worthless to us. No one is going to pay to send you home. If you act out, we will not hold back. All of what we cannot take out of that boy we will take out on you as well so I would behave."

Straightening, he left Arima laying where he was and approached the first man. He violently turned Akoya around and held him still so the other could tie his arms together behind his back. Once he was sure they were secure, he unfolded the chair and forced him to sit on it, using the last bit of rope to tie his arms to the chair.


	8. Chapter 8

A few hours later the driver had woken up and his head had cleared enough for the group to talk to him about what had happened. He admitted that he had been in the middle of checking the tires of the car when someone had come up behind him and hit him in the head. The stranger had been swift so he did not have time to turn around before the strike and falling unconscious. He also said that he thought it was around 6:40 in the morning when he was attacked since he had been in the middle of his morning check of all the cars.

They let the man rest after that and the maid from before led them to another room at Kinshiro's request. Inside were several small screens that were being watched by a man in a chair.

"Do you have any cameras in the garage?" he asked the man.

"Not currently. They are being repaired."

He let out a quiet swear.

"Well do you have any trained on the front drive?"

The man nodded and adjusted one of the screens so it displayed an image of the location. He let it play and slowly the Sun rose, letting the image become clearer. A car pulled up outside the house and Kinshiro told the man to let the video play at normal speed so they could watch it. Akoya and Arima walked out of the house, Arima stepping in front so he could open the door for the other. They slid into the backseat and out of sight, the car starting down the drive as soon as the door closed behind them. It turned left and drove down the street. Suddenly they could see Arima again as he threw himself at the door and tried to open it or the window unsuccessfully. The last thing they could see before the car left the camera's field of view was their friend desperately trying to escape the car.

They were quiet for a long time before Kinshiro muttered that they needed a copy of the video and left the room.

* * *

The group had been given the copy they requested and had immediately taken it to the police station. They tried to explain that their friends, Gero Akoya and Arima Ibushi, had been kidnapped but the police wouldn't listen to them. The police claimed that they were trying to prank them and would not stand for it. They also dismissed their claims by asking why they weren't in school at the moment.

"We do not have time for that right now!" Kinshiro had nearly screamed. "We will go back to school when you listen and start looking into the kidnapping of our friends! We did not create a story to inconvenience you so just listen to us! We are wasting time!"

The police just shook their heads and started to lead them out.

"It is difficult to believe that the sons of such powerful men would be missing with only you six knowing about it."

"We have proof!" Ryuu tried to protest, holding up the disk.

They had almost been completely forced out of the station when a different man stormed into the building and everyone shrank back.

"Mr. Gero, sir," the officer began but he was cut off.

"This was delivered to my home and I was told that I should bring it down here."

The man's voice was full of boredom as he looked around the scene lazily and pulled his own disk out of his bag.

A second officer came forward to retrieve the disk from him.

"Do you know what is on it?"

The powerful man shrugged slightly, completely unconcerned.

"I believe I was told that it is a ransom demand for my worthless son."

The others in the room simply stared at him and his cold indifference.

"W-Well we need to watch it and find out. If that is what it is, we will need to form a plan to guarantee his safe return."

The two officers led the man into a briefing room while the students tagged along, needing to watch the video as well. The first police officer started to prevent them but then something changed in his mind and he allowed them to come as well. They were shown to seats in the back of the room while Akoya's father was brought to the front of the room by the second officer. Placing the disk in a drive, the second officer let the disk play while the first closely watched the expressions on the youths' faces.

The video showed Akoya restrained to a folding chair with a sign in his lap. They were unable to read the sign though because the boy had his face tucked into his chest, pink hair covering most of both of them. Gloved fingers grasped his chin and forced him to raise his head to meet the camera; tears were pouring down his cheeks and onto his clean uniform. He seemed to be unharmed, yet, only scared.

The sign was now visible and they were able to read: _"Hi, Daddy. Sorry I wasn't home to see you this morning, I had different plans. Now if you ever want me to come home you're going to pay 3.5 billion yen to some nice people. If you don't, I'll never be able to come home. Instructions are with this disk. Choose well."_

The hand let go of his face and gently pet his hair before the camera shut off.

Turning to Akoya's father, the second officer asked about any instructions that had been included with the disk. The man pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to the officer. It was quickly read and the officer nodded.

"This is very straightforward. We can either attempt to pay them outright and return your son or we can try to talk them down on their demands and try to get him back at a more reasonable price but that is less likely to guarantee his safety."

The officer continued to talk but Akoya's father cut across him again.

"They can keep him."


	9. Chapter 9

All of the occupants of the room were shocked.

"S-Sir, surely you want your son back?" an officer asked with a shaky voice. "H-He is your only heir after all."

The powerful man shook his head with scorn.

"If he was stupid enough to allow himself to be captured then he needs to figure out how to escape on his own. I refuse to pay for his mistakes. He should have been more aware."

At that, Kinshiro jumped to his feet.

"How can you say that? Akoya was-!"

"Hold your tongue, Kusatsu. Remember your place." The man narrowed his eyes. "I will have to have a word with your father about your rudeness."

The white-haired boy glared at him.

"Go ahead! Tell him that I am impertinent! I do not care! All I care about right now is that my friends have been taken and no one seems inclined to look into it!"

A loud slap resonated through the room and Kinshiro cupped his cheek, a bright red mark could be seen around his fingers.

"You are nearly as disappointing as my own son. I pity your father. He would be happier if you went the same way as your sister." En and Atsushi grabbed Kinshiro's arms to stop him launching himself at Akoya's father. "I take my leave of you all."

The man turned on his heel and left the building. Once he was out of sight, the two released Kinshiro and let out a sigh. Three officers stepped in front of the group while four more stood behind them, preventing them from leaving the room.

"What is going on?" Ryuu asked, looking around at the officers.

"You children know quite a bit about this case," an officer explained. "You knew that those boys were missing before anyone else did. Because of this, we cannot allow you to leave without being questioned." Six of the officers moved closer and each grabbed one of the boys. "You will be detained until you can prove that you have nothing to do with this case."

All of the boys began to struggle but were dragged out of the room.

"You cannot do this! We had nothing to do with our friends disappearing!"

"We will determine if that is true."

The six of them were hauled deeper into the police station and thrown into holding cells.

* * *

"Let's see what Daddy says about your little note," one of men mocked as he ran his fingers through Akoya's hair. "If I were you, I would hope that he replies soon."

He untied the boy, yanked him to his feet, and threw him to the floor next to Arima.

Arima crawled over to the other boy and pulled him into his arms.

"Are you alright?"

The other curled into the older's grasp.

"I am fine," he whispered back. "How are you?" He peered at the other's face and gently touched his cheek. "Does it hurt?"

Shaking his head, Arima replied, "Not anymore. I was more worried about you."

"What do you think will happen to us? I doubt that my father will pay that much money to send me home. And they did not even mention that you are here too."

The pair sat quietly, holding each other and wondering. Not sure what their future would bring.

* * *

One by one, the group had been lead to an interrogation room and drained of any information they knew. While one was being questioned, the rest were left in their cells. All of them had been paired up with another as there were not enough cells to hold them all separately. Kinshiro had been locked in with Io, Yumoto was sharing his cell with En, and Atsushi was in the last cell with Ryuu. Currently Atsushi was missing from their group and Yumoto was crying while En was awkwardly trying to soothe him. Kinshiro and Io were quietly discussing the intentions of the police as Ryuu silently waited for Atsushi to be brought back.

Each of them had already been probed by the police and it had left a strange taste in their mouth. Yumoto had been told that his actions would disappoint his brother and he would be arrested if he did not cooperate. En had barely said anything, not knowing what the others had already said. Ryuu had spilled everything he knew, trying his best to help. The other two had carefully picked what to say so that only the important information was given out. Their disk had also been handed over to the police.

The door opened and Atsushi was led back into the room. He had his head hung low and followed the officers meekly. His cell was unlocked and he was pushed inside before it was locked once more. The two officers crossed the room to stand in front of the cell holding Kinshiro and Io.

"You two," one demanded. "You need to come with us once more. We have some more questions for you."

The second officer opened the cell and fastened handcuffs around their wrists. They were led out of the room and back to the interrogation room.

"What did you-?"

"We will be asking the questions!" the first officer snapped. He strode around the room and glared at them. "I did some research on you both. One of you is the son of another wealthy businessman while the other of you has created his own fortune. It is strange that you two were left alone while your less wealthy friends were captured." He stopped and eyed them, face cold. "It is our belief that you two either worked together or one of you acted alone and schemed to have them captured so you could take their fortune for yourselves. It would be much more obvious to take either of you but instead the ones who went missing are two other boys."

The pair could only stare in shock at them.

"How dare you!" Kinshiro finally shouted. "We would never do something like that! Not when we were trying to protect our friends!"

Beside him, Io was less agitated. Rather, he was nervous but masking it well as he looked around for an exit. The second officer was blocking the door while the first was standing in the way of the only window in the room. Cautiously, Io placed his hand on Kinshiro's arm.

"I agree that your claim is ridiculous," he replied slowly. "But I believe the true answer does not lie with us but instead…" He took a deep breath. "With the two of you."

The officer in front of them shouted while Kinshiro suddenly understood. Using the yelling as a cover, he spun on his heel and punched the officer behind him. Io forced him out of the way and the two dashed out of the room before they befell the same fate as their friends.


	10. Chapter 10

"It looks like Daddy isn't going to pay for you to come home," one of the men growled as he stomped into the room. "He says you are worthless and have to save yourself."

The other man trailed behind him, clearly furious.

"We wasted time and energy trying to get to you and for what?! Nothing?!" He stormed over to the pair and tore Arima away, dragging him to his feet. "I refuse to accept that!"

Using all of his strength, he punched the boy in the face. He needed to take his anger out on someone and he had a punching bag right in front of him. Concerned for his friend, Akoya jumped up and tried to run over to help him but was grabbed by the other man. He was pulled against his chest and held tightly.

"I wouldn't get involved, princess," he sneered. "Unless you want your pretty face to be rearranged."

Tears burst from his eyes as he was forced to watch the other man ruthlessly beat his friend until he passed out, covered in blood.

Breathing deeply, the man turned to face them.

"Well now, beautiful," he crooned, an unsettling smile creeping onto his face. "What are we going to do with you? Daddy isn't going to come get you so I guess you and your boyfriend are ours to play with." He stalked forward and cupped his face. "I suppose we could still get our money's worth with you." His grin widened and he looked up at the other man. "Are you thinking what I am thinking?"

The man nodded.

"He does have a gorgeous body and with that hair we could dress him up and he would look just like a girl. We could have all sorts of fun with him."

Akoya's eyes grew huge and terrified. He began to struggle, trying to break away, but the other two simply tightened their grasp on him.

"You are going to do whatever we say," the first man warned in a low voice, whispering directly into his ear. "Whatever we say, when we say it." He pulled back, trailing his hands down the boy's body as he did so. "Right now you are filthy which will not stand. We are going to get you some water and supplies so you may clean yourself up for us."

The man left the room. The second man continued to hold him for a few moments longer, biting at his pale neck and leaving dark bruises. Akoya whimpered but the man did not release him until he was satisfied.

Once he did, the first man stepped back into the room holding a bucket of water, a small tub, and a bar of crusty soap. He was also carrying a towel with something folded on top of it. "You are to wash, change into this, and then wait for us to return." Placing the items on the ground, he added, "Do not think of doing anything else or your boyfriend will pay dearly for it."

The two departed and Akoya waited for a few minutes before unbuttoning his no longer white uniform top with shaking hands.

* * *

Kinshiro and Io dashed back into the room where their friends were. Using the key Io had secretly stolen from the officer he had forced out of the way, they unlocked the two other cells.

"We need to get out of here!" Kinshiro explained in a frantic whisper. "Those 'officers' might have been the ones to kidnap Akoya and Arima!"

As a group, they all ran out of the police station and hid in a store across the street so they could see if the officers came after them. Pulling his phone out, Kinshiro called his driver and instructed him to meet them outside the store.

While they waited, the two police officers left the station and slipped into a patrol car. It pulled onto the street a moment later and they watched it until it was out of sight. Soon after that, Kinshiro's own car parked outside and they hurried to get inside.

The wealthy male explained what was happening and what the other car looked like so they could follow it. The driver quickly turned back onto the road and they spotted the patrol car in the distance. He drove as he normally did while tailing the car from a safe distance so the men did not realize they were being followed.

They drove for nearly an hour, driving far outside the city limits. On the way, Kinshiro called his butler and informed him of what they were doing and where they were going. He also said he would turn the tracking on his phone but asked the man not to send anyone after him unless he did not call to say he was fine within two hours. The man agreed and said he would only inform the other boys' parents if he did not check in within that time.

Kinshiro thanked him and hung up. Turning to the other five boys jammed into the back of the car, he explained what had transpired.

"We have two hours to find where they have taken Akoya and Arima, rescue them, and call back to say that we are safe."

"Is that enough time?" Io asked. "We have been driving for quite a while and not sure how much farther we have to go."

"If we are closing in on the time when we arrive, or even before we arrive, I will call back to show that we are safe and need more time."

The other nodded.

"I believe we are here," the driver called as he parked.

The group tumbled out of the car, eager to start looking for their friends.

"Look!" Yumoto shouted, pointing at something. "That's the car they were in!"

They looked where he was pointing and saw the familiar car hidden under some small trees. Approaching cautiously, they tried to determine if anyone was in or near the car but found no one. They peered through the windows and jumped when Kinshiro suddenly called out. He tugged the back door open and grabbed something off of the floor of the car.

"That's the necklace Akoya was wearing!" he cried out. "This proves that he was in the car!"

En turned to look at the building they were outside of; it was large and run down with graffiti covering the walls.

"Then they must be somewhere inside."

Preparing themselves to enter the building, they swiftly changed into their other forms.


	11. Chapter 11

Akoya had washed himself to the best of his ability with the old soap and had the short towel wrapped around his body. Picking up the garments left behind, he realized what they were and paled. With a dejected sigh, he slipped on the pastel pink babydoll nightie and matching panties. The color perfectly matched his hair but that did not ease his mind even slightly.

After he was dressed, one of the men came back long enough to clasp heavy shackles around his wrists and ankles. He explained that they did not have time for him at that moment but would be back soon. He quickly slipped his hand under the edge of the dress to grope Akoya's ass before leaving.

Once he heard the door lock, Akoya dropped to his knees beside Arima. The other had not woken up yet but bruises were starting to make their presence known on his body. His nose was broken and he clearly had a black eye but he could still hear shallow breathing.

Crying silently, he gently ran his fingers through the matted hair. He wished he could have done something, anything, to help his dear friend but he had been unable. If he could share the pain he must be feeling, he would have in a heartbeat. It wasn't fair that the other had gotten caught up in his struggle. Arima should be home, safe and unharmed.

The door creaked open and Akoya braced himself, eyes clamped shut to delay seeing the lusty gazes of the men who had captured him.

* * *

The group stepped into the dark room and looked around. Kinshiro spotted a familiar shape across the room and yelled, "Akoya!"

Startled, the boy looked up and wept with happiness when he saw his President in front of him. He struggled to get to his feet and ran across the room as fast as he could with the short chain around his ankles. When he was an arm's length away, he tripped but Kinshiro caught him and held him steady.

"Akoya," he began, voice shaking with a mixture of worry, relief, and fury. He had not been able to see how the younger was dressed until he was closer and the skimpy outfit clearly showed what the men were planning to do with him. "Did those men touch you?"

The pink haired boy shook his head quickly.

"N-Not yet."

"Good." Tugging the cape off of his shoulders, he wrapped it securely around Akoya and used the brooch on his collar to fasten it together firmly. Grateful for the cover, the younger clasped the cape tightly in his hands. "I would have killed them if they had."

"But Kin-!" He quickly cut himself off before he revealed the true identity of his friend. "I-I mean Aurite, you need to see Arima!"

Letting go of the cape with one hand, he grabbed Kinshiro and dragged him over to where the other laid, still unconscious. The others followed closely and tried not to gasp at the state they found Arima in.

Kinshiro breathed deeply to control his overflowing emotions.

"Cerulean, carry Arima." he ordered. En stepped forward and carefully lifted the injured Student Council member into his arms. "Vesta and Sulphur, you are in charge of protecting Akoya. Do not let anyone get near him." The two nodded and stood next to Akoya. "We are going to take them out of here but first." He turned to Akoya and summoned his sword. "We need to remove those chains so you can move without restraint." Lifting his sword, he brought it sharply down onto the chains between the other's feet. It snapped and the broken ends dropped to the floor. "That is all I can do for now," he said sympathetically. "We will get those off when we are out of here."

The group started towards the door, En carrying Arima and Ryuu and Io staying on either side of Akoya. The lights suddenly went out and they stepped closer together nervously, looking around.

"You came here, uninvited, to steal our new toys," a voice called, filled with self-satisfaction. "But did you really think we would let you do that?" The lights flickered back on to show Akoya's arm being held by one of the pretend police officers. He was using his other hand to stroke up and down the scared boy's body. "No. We like our toys. We are not finished with them yet and do not want to give them up." He possessively bit Akoya's shoulder who cried out in pain. "We haven't even gotten to play with this one yet."

Pointing his sword at the other man, Kinshiro declared, "You can have him over my dead body."

The other man laughed.

"You must be unaware," he said slowly, eyes filled with glee. "That I did not do this alone."

A groan of agony came from another in the group. Turning, Kinshiro saw Atsushi fall to the ground. The other man was standing behind him, casually spinning a bloody knife between his fingers.

"Epinard!"

"It's cute that you all dressed up and came to save your friends," the second fake officer cooed. "And while we are not fully sure who you are, we have a pretty good guess. Which means," the previous cool voice was replaced with a more sinister one. "That we should still be trying to capture two more of you."

The group tried to look unfazed and slightly confused but the men did not miss how the one in black and the one in yellow quickly glanced at each other.

"I thought so," the first man said with a grin. "We will keep those of you that are important and kill the rest. They would just be in our way." He looked at Atsushi, who was still laying on the ground. "Well it seems like there is one less that we need to take care of so if the other three of you wouldn't mind joining him?"


	12. Chapter 12

"I will leave them to you," the officer called as he dragged Akoya out of the room.

"Aurite!" the terrified boy yelled, not wanting to taken away from his friends. They had just gotten there. He didn't want to be separated from them again. "Aurite! Aur-!"

The slamming of the door cut off his sentence.

Kinshiro silently begged for the younger's forgiveness as he turned to deal with the officer still in the room. He would go after Akoya as soon as he had dealt with him.

"You tried to kill two of my friends," he began, voice dangerous. "And you are attempting to assault another of my friends. You are going to sorely regret that."

"Oh no," the man taunted with a grin on his face. "Did I hurt your feelings?"

Glaring, Kinshiro quickly instructed the others: En carefully set Arima down and Io moved Atsushi to lay beside him. As soon as the two were safely out of the way, the other five turned to the officer. Kinshiro pointed his sword at the man while the others summoned their weapons.

"You will be lucky if I leave you alive," he declared, diving at him and slashing harshly. Fury burned in his veins and it would not stop until he had saved his friends and dealt his revenge. "You deserve death for what you've done!"

Blood poured from the wound on the man's chest but Kinshiro kept swinging. Suddenly fearful, the man tried to parry the attacks with his knife. He had not been prepared for the abrupt attack but was trying his best, desperately wishing to stay alive. Some he managed to block but most he was unable. Soon he dropped to his knees, weak and dizzy.

"That's enough!" En yelled, causing Kinshiro to pause in the middle of bringing his sword down once again. "Any more and you _will_ kill him!"

Kinshiro started to snap back but stopped when he saw the look in the other's eyes.

"Fine," he growled. "You keep him here and I will go rescue Akoya!"

En, Io, and Yumoto surrounded the man with their weapons pointed at him. Ryuu, however, chose to follow him. The older boy shouted for him to stay but the younger argued that he might need help and continued after him. Giving in, Kinshiro agreed and dashed for the door.

Outside the room was the hallway that led the group to Akoya and Arima originally. They had not peered into any of the other rooms on their way in but did so this time. Most of the rooms were empty while others were full of boxes containing who knows what. They had almost reached the front of the building when Kinshiro suddenly froze and, looking around him, Ryuu knew why.

The second police officer had his back to them and was concentrating on holding down a familiar body rather than checking if anyone was looking for him. The room was large but only appeared to hold a few pieces of furniture. The man was hunched over one of these pieces, on top of their friend. On the floor next to him was Kinshiro's cape, the officer's pants, and a pair of pink panties.

"P-Please n-no…p-please…n-no…," the boy was whimpering, trying to pull away but the man silenced him with a slap to his naked ass. His waist was grabbed and he was dragged closer to the fake officer.

"Get off of him!" Kinshiro roared, bursting into the room. Once inside, his anger was furthered as he saw his subordinate was being pushed over a table while the manacles around his wrists were restrained to one of the table legs. Bruises littered his neck and back while the nightie was pushed up to his shoulders, leaving him bare from the armpits down.

"Why should I do that?" the man asked, clearly enjoying the situation.

"Because he does not want you! Just leave him alone! Haven't you made him suffer enough?!" Ryuu added, voice shaking.

"Oh?" The man's underwear was slipped off and shoved into Akoya's mouth, muffling his pleas. "I don't hear anything."

"You sick son of a-!"

Another loud slap rang through the room along with a muted yelp of pain.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't quite hear you. Do you want to repeat that?"

His hand was raised as he awaited an answer.

"Let go of him and never go near him again," Kinshiro threatened, holding up his weapon. "Otherwise I will not hesitate to spear you on my sword."

The man laughed, throwing his head back.

"What a coincidence! That's exactly what I was planning on doing to your friend here in a moment!"

Screaming in rage, Kinshiro leapt at the man and drove him away from the tethered boy. Using the opportunity, Ryuu approached Akoya and began untying him. Kinshiro noticed what the other was doing and focused on keeping the man away and unaware.

It worked long enough for Ryuu to untie him and cover him again. Seconds after the cape fell into place, Kinshiro tripped and the man saw Akoya talking to Ryuu with his back turned. He shoved Kinshiro out of his way and stormed towards his prize. The teen fell to the ground with a bang and didn't move.

Ryuu noticed him coming and pulled Akoya close, glaring at the man while whispering to the other pink-haired student. A look of surprise crossed the other's face before he looped his arms around Ryuu, chains keeping him from being pulled away. Standing at his full height, still glaring, Ryuu silently challenged the man. Behind him, Akoya shook and tried to disappear into the other boy's shadow.

"Do you really think that will do any good?"

Kinshiro slowly recovered and sat up to watch what was happening.

Without warning, the man's hands shot out and grabbed Akoya, pulling him away from Ryuu. Since his hands were still chained, he did not let go of the other but instead the chain dug into Ryuu's throat and cut off his airway.

"Vesta!" both boys shouted as they watched his face slowly turn blue.


	13. Chapter 13

Kinshiro jumped to his feet and thrust the tip of his sword into the man's back. With a yell of surprise, he released Akoya and dropped to the floor. Akoya immediately pulled his hands away from Ryuu so air could once again reach his lungs. The oldest boy jabbed his sword through the man's collar so he was pinned to the ground before pulling out his cell phone to call to police.

It took half an hour for the police to arrive along with a few ambulances. The door to building was broken down and the police swarmed inside, looking for the boys. While they waited, they had used the rope the men had used on Akoya to tie them up and had blindfolded them before resuming their normal forms. The police were grateful for the help and quickly led them all outside and away from the danger.

Akoya, Arima, and Atsushi were all loaded into ambulances and taken to a hospital while the other boys were driven to the hospital by a few police officers so they could be examined as well. The last thing Akoya saw before the ambulance doors were closed was the two men who had captured him being forced into police cars to be taken to jail.

* * *

Most of the group returned to school within a few days, physically fine but mentally scarred. It took a little longer for Atsushi to be allowed to resume schooling but he welcomed the return to normal. Akoya and Arima however did not return for a couple weeks.

While he was captured, Arima had been badly wounded and stayed in the hospital for treatment. Akoya had also been to the hospital but had been released after a few days. He spent all his time at the other's bedside because he was accustomed to his presence after being reliant on him for so long and then locked away with him. He grew increasingly paranoid and only felt safe when next to the older boy.

The nurses tried to make him to leave the first few days when visiting hours ended but he refused and would have a panic attack if they attempted to force him away from Arima. Eventually they gave in and allowed him to stay as they feared for his mental and physically safety. An extra bed was brought into the room so he could sleep comfortably, his mind somewhat at ease.

When Arima was released from the hospital, Akoya stayed by his side. He nearly had another panic attack when he realized the car waiting was for them but Arima assured him that his usual driver was behind the wheel and that police were going to follow them back to the house to make sure they arrived safely. Arima had also been apprehensive about getting in the car but knew just how frayed Akoya's nerves and mental stability was at the moment so he tried to stay calm so the other could depend on him as normal.

Because he had passed out, he wasn't sure if the men had followed through on their intentions for Akoya. It had taken a lot of gentle prodding but after three days, Akoya had finally given him an answer which relieved him. If it had been the opposite, he would have broken into the police station and killed the men with his bare hands.

He didn't want the other to go home in his state so he brought him to his own house like he had previously. Akoya's father had called and demanded he come home now that he was out of the hospital but Akoya shouted that he would not. His father had left him to die so he refused to return to that man. Unaffected, his father had claimed that if he did come home that instant, he would be disowned and never given anything again. Still seething, Akoya had screamed and told him that he didn't care, he hated that man, and would be happy to be disowned.

His father had hung up after that and Akoya burst into tears.

"I-I'm homeless…" he whimpered as the reality of the situation set in. "I-I have nowhere t-to go…"

Arima carefully wrapped his arms around him, wary of any sign that Akoya would panic so he could instantly release him if he did.

"Of course you do," he soothed. "You can stay here. No one would object if you came to live here. You already have clothes here and plenty of supplies since you stay here so often already."

Feeling slightly better, Akoya made himself comfortable in Arima's arms.

"Thank you…Arima…"

"You can call me Ibushi. You know that, right?"

Stiffening, the younger boy looked up into the kind face he loved so dearly.

"R-Really…?"

"Of course. We have been through so much that it feels strange that you do not call me by my first name already." Tears starting to flow again, he held the older tightly until he wore himself out. "Go to sleep," Ibushi suggested. "There are guards outside the doors and stationed around the property so no one can come in and hurt you." Akoya looked around, almost nervously. Quick to understand, Ibushi shook his head with a soft smile. "You have slept in my bed before so it is nothing to worry about. Go on, you are clearly exhausted. I will be right beside you the entire time."

Feeling exhausted, Akoya slipped under the covers and laid down. He closed his eyes but his heart started to race. He couldn't do it. He was too afraid. But Ibushi slowly started running his fingers through his hair and, as if on cue, he fell asleep moments later. Ibushi laid down beside him and held him close, falling asleep shortly after. The two slept for several hours, finally getting the rest they so desperately needed.


	14. Chapter 14

A month after their rescue Akoya and Ibushi stood, hand in hand, outside of Binan High. Students stood talking in clusters around the campus, joking about a show they had watched the previous night, complaining about yet another day of class, worrying about a test in third period. It was all so frustratingly normal.

None of these students had their lives ripped apart by a kidnapping, savage attacks, or attempted sexual assault. None of them had to deal with being used by aliens, had their mistakes broadcast across the universe, or turned into heartless monsters, almost irreversibly, against fellow students who were now their friends and saviors? Why did these students get to live lives that were mundane and free from such terrible events?

A few students seemed to notice them and pointed at them before whispering fervently in their cluster of friends. Other broke away and approached them.

"Gero! Arima! You're back!"

The calls of their names caused others to catch on to their presence and within seconds they were encircled by dozens of students.

"Where have you been?"

"I wish I was rich enough to take a month-long vacation during school!"

"You missed so much work! Did you get private tutors?"

"Were you ill?"

Akoya stepped closer to Ibushi, squeezing his hand tightly. Neither were comfortable with being surrounded after what they had just endured but Akoya was more sensitive to it since he had to fight against capture from both sides during his failed capture.

"It's…a sensitive subject…" Ibushi explained, trying to disperse the crowd. "Class will be starting soon and we missed quite a bit just as someone said. If you wouldn't mind letting us pass so we can speak to our teachers about what we missed?" The students let them slip out but grumbled about not getting to learn where they had been. "I'm sorry about that," he whispered to Akoya when they were far enough away from the group. "I didn't think they would swarm us like that."

"I didn't either. I didn't even think they would notice we were gone."

The pair walked in silence to Ibushi's classroom. Stepping inside, they walked up to the teacher and Akoya waited at the front row of desks while Ibushi asked about times when he could come in to make up up his missed work.

When he was finished, he returned to Akoya's side and they headed for Akoya's classroom.

As they neared the room they could hear voices inside.

"They didn't say. I've heard they were on vacation though."

"No they weren't!" a different voice called out. "Didn't you see how he looked?" There was a shuffling sound and the voice was closer the next time it spoke. "I've had my suspicions for years but now I know for sure! Arima is dating Gero! And he got Gero pregnant!"

There were gasps and noises of confusion.

"But how?" a young voice asked.

"Gero is a girl! I've always thought so! There's no way a guy could look like that! Gero's been a girl this whole time and come to our school to get close to Arima and Kinshiro! Well she got a little _too_ close and ended up pregnant!"

"And why did she go away for a month? That's not long enough to have a baby? And she certainly didn't look pregnant before she left?"

"Their dads found out how close they were getting and were encouraging it until she got pregnant! Then she had to get an abortion and she needed to rest and Arima was hiding in shame."

Ibushi hadn't noticed the tears starting to slide out of Akoya's eyes but he heard the loud sobs and he saw the other dart away from the classroom. Furious at the fictious and hurtful rumors being spread right in front of him, he stormed into the room. The rage burning in his eyes made the boys in the room shrink back.

"A-Arima," one tried to begin.

The voice was recognized as the one insinuating Akoya was a woman in disguise and hiding a shameful secret.

"You!" he roared, stomping over to him. Grabbing the front of his uniform, he yelled directly into his face. "How dare you? How dare you spread such filthy lies?"

"W-What?"

A scared smile spread across the boy's face as he tried to think of what to say to appease the normally apathetic Student Council member.

"I heard _everything_. _Akoya_ heard everything." The fury was still blazing in his body. "You better have a good excuse for this because I know where we were. I know what actually happened to us. I know what actually happened to _him_. You would be traumatized if you went through what he did. Like he is. You wouldn't have been able to come back to school for another month _at least_. And if you had come back to such vicious lies being spread about yourself, you would have _murdered_ the person spouting them."

"W-Well what happened to you?"

Ibushi's eyes darkened as his voice dropped to a deadly dark tone. The boy shivered as he replied. None of the boys in the room moved, all frozen in place.

"Akoya was kidnapped and held for ransom. I was kidnapped alongside him for trying to protect him. And guess what?" The boy shook his head, too terrified to answer him. "His father refused to pay. So our captors decided that they would still get their money's worth with us. And what's Akoya's _redeeming quality_?" Again Ibushi paused, waiting for the to fill in the blank. "Oh come now. This one is easy. Even you know this one. You commented on it earlier."

Swallowing thickly, the boy responded, "H-His…a-appearance…?"

Face still dark and nightmarish, Ibushi smiled a twisted smile and nodded.

"Exactly. They sought Akoya for his body and used me as a stress relief so all these new scars you see? They're courtesy of two men that are now in jail." Throwing the boy into the wall on the other side of the room, Ibushi left the room. Tossing a final comment over his shoulder he said, "Don't speak about things you don't know."

The boys laid where they were, terrified eyes watching him leave.

* * *

AN: I know Arima is a little out of character but I couldn't see him just standing there and accepting that with a smile on his face.

Also, I don't think being mistaken for a woman or getting an abortion is shameful. I can see rumors like those being spread around Akoya before and hearing them again being upsetting for him, especially after all he went through.


	15. Chapter 15

Ibushi had found Akoya curled up on a couch in the Student Council room and sat with him until he calmed down. He had explained that he dealt with the boys and they wouldn't bother him again. The pair had stayed there until almost class time. Akoya had looked up at Ibushi with fearful eyes, not wanting to go back to class and hear more people accuse him of secretly being a woman who had gotten an abortion when the truth was so much worse. With plenty of gentle coaxing, Ibushi had managed to lead him down to class. A quick kiss outside of class and a promise of a text for help would have him there in an instant was just enough for Akoya to let Ibushi part from him. Ryuu and Io had once again sat in the seats on either side of him which he was grateful for as it allowed him the comfort of two of his saviors right beside him as well as a barrier from any possible rumors reaching his ears.

The day passed without any other rumors being spread, to his relief. Now the group was relaxing in the Student Council room. Kinshiro was sitting at his desk, working on paperwork; the others were convinced he did not know the meaning of the word 'relax'. Atsushi and En were sitting on a couch while Yumoto sat in front of it, leaning back against it. Io and Ryuu sat in two creamy, plush chairs that had been added to the room after the group decided to start spending their time there. Both Kinshiro and Akoya had heatedly refused to step foot in the room the others usually relaxed in.

Ibushi was laying on a couch with Akoya against his chest, arms around him to make him feel secure. The paranoia still affected him but Ibushi had noticed that it seemed to be held at bay while they were touching. He hoped that since Akoya had now lived with him for a few weeks, this would start to improve without his need to intervene.

As if he could read his mind, Kinshiro suddenly put the paper in his hand down and looked directly at Ibushi.

"Arima, Akoya has been living with you for a month now, yes? Does his father have any intention on allowing Akoya to come home?"

The younger of the pair turned so his face was hid in the older's chest, removing himself from the conversation. Ibushi was aware that Kinshiro knew Akoya's father was unlikely to change his mind. He had refused to pay when he was kidnapped, why would he allow his son to come home when that child had thrown that information in his face? As much as Akoya had hated his father, he hadn't expected his father to leave him to die and the pain of that betrayal cut him deeply.

He gently ran his fingers through the soft, pink hair in front hair as his shirt grew damp.

"No. He is standing firm. Luckily though my parents have welcomed into the family even though he has lost his inheritance." He smiled fondly. "They had been expecting to approach his father about arranging a marriage between us since it would benefit us both but now they don't have to and are already planning our wedding."

Io cocked his head to the side a bit, confused.

"Please don't take this rudely, but I just want to understand their thinking. His family is far wealthier than yours and you are not a first or even a second son, what do you have to offer Akoya's father as a potential suitor?"

Ibushi laughed loudly.

"You are right, Io. I can see why you would wonder that. If it was anyone other than Akoya, that would be a very good question." He glanced down at the boy laying on his chest. "Akoya is…" He bit his lip as he thought of exactly how to phrase his sentence. "Not a person who likes to do things. He likes to be seen. He likes things to been done for him. He is spoiled. His father tried multiple times to groom to take over for him someday but it was fruitless. He finally decided he wanted someone to marry his son who has a head for business, comes from wealth, and already has a well-known name. He wants someone who will marry his son and will take over his business instead of his son." He pressed a soft kiss on top of Akoya's head. "Akoya has many talents and skills but business is not one and his father eventually realized this which my parents had already realized." He paused for another moment. "Akoya and I already knew each other by this point. My parents wanted me around when his father reached this conclusion so that I might be the first person he thought of when he did."

"But now that he disowned Akoya, your parents still want you to marry Akoya? Even though he has no money?" Ryuu asked, also confused.

Ibushi turned to him.

"Akoya's worth is not tied up in his potential money. He is worth plenty as a person too. And we've all learned that, my parents included. They fell in love with him years ago and still want me to marry him so he can officially be part of the family. Their hearts broke when they heard how his father reacted and they had no objections to bringing him into their home."

He answered their questions about their arrangement until they had to leave. He led Akoya out to the car, hand in hand once more. The driver was standing next to the car as the new instructions explained. He held the door open for them before going around and sliding in himself. The drive home was silent, the first day back having been draining for both of them.

Not much was said by either of them until they were laying down for bed. Ibushi had showered, brushed his hair and teeth, and was already in the large bed. Akoya on the other hand hadn't even changed out of his uniform.

"What is bothering you?" The other shook his head, not saying anything. "I've seen you naked in the bathhouse plenty of times. I know what is there and what is not." He turned away. "Akoya, please." Ibushi slid out of the bed and came over to the other, wrapping his arms around him. He lifted the other's face and kissed. "Listen, angel. I know you're still nervous because of what happened but it's just me. If you want me to close my eyes, I will. If you want me to leave the room, I will. Please, just trust me. Trust that if you tell me, I will listen. We've slept beside each other every night for the last month but we haven't had this issue since we haven't changed at the same time. So please, trust that I will listen to your wishes."

Akoya peered up at him.

"Please…please don't look?"

He ended his statement on a question which made Ibushi's heart ache just a bit since it showed that the normally over the top, self-obsessed Akoya was still scared of letting people seeing him in any vulnerable states. But he did as he was asked. He covered his eyes and made a show of turning around to let Akoya know that he could trust him, no matter what. Naked or clothed.

"O-Okay. I-I'm dressed."

Uncovering his eyes, he saw his pretty boyfriend was now covered in fluffy pink pajamas. With a small smile, the younger reached forward and took his hand. Together they walked back to the bed and slid under the covers, Akoya instantly cuddling up to Ibushi.

"I promise no one will hurt you again, Akoya," he murmured to the boy clutching him tightly.

"I love you, Ibushi."

"I love you too, Akoya."

With their whispered confessions, they fell asleep. Tomorrow they would be challenged with yet another school day full of people who didn't believe them, studying, and trying to overcome the the trauma they endured but for now they had each other and that was enough for them.


End file.
